Mohamed Morsi bars court challenges and orders Hosni Mubarak retrial

Source: Guardian

Egypt's president, Mohamed Morsi, has granted himself far-reaching powers and immunity from legal oversight as he ordered the retrial of his predecessor Hosni Mubarak over the killing of protesters during the country's revolution.

In a surprise move, Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader who was instrumental in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, issued a series of measures preventing Egypt's courts from challenging any laws or decrees passed since he assumed office in June.

The decrees prevent the courts from attempting to dissolve the upper house of parliament or the constituent assembly which is drawing up the country's new constitution, both dominated by his Islamist allies.

The declaration came barely 24 hours after Morsi was praised by US president Barack Obama for his role in bringing the latest round of the Gaza conflict to an end.

2. I'm surprised this isn't getting more attention on DU.

The powers are supposed to be only temporary, and we can only hope.

This, from The Guardian, is troubling:

"The declaration comes in the midst of an increasingly acrimonious battle over the writing of Egypt's new constitution. Liberal and Christian members withdrew from the constituent assembly during the past week in protest at what they say is the hijacking of the process by Morsi's allies, who they fear are trying to push through a document that will have an Islamist slant, marginalising women and minority Christians and infringing on personal liberties."

3. Egypt protest call over President Mursi's sweeping powers

In a joint news conference on Thursday, Sameh Ashour, head of the lawyers syndicate, and key opposition figures Mohamed ElBaradei and Amr Moussa accused Mr Mursi of "monopolising all three branches of government" and overseeing "the total execution of the independence of the judiciary".

"We are calling on all Egyptians to protest in all of Egypt's squares on Friday," they said.

Mr ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, wrote on his Twitter account that the president had "appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh. A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences".

Wael Ghonim, a key figure in the uprising, said the revolution had not been staged "in search of a benign dictator"